At least 14 newborns killed in Pakistan hospital nursery fire

At least 14 newborn infants died when a fire erupted in the nursery on the third floor of the Mother and Child Centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, shortly before 07:00 a.m. local time. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the tragedy, expressed condolences to the grieving families and ordered an immediate investigation, vowing that those responsible would face the “strictest action.” Hospital sources reported that only one infant was rescued from the blaze, and a local broadcaster, citing those sources, placed the death toll at 15.

Investigators are focusing on a short circuit in a malfunctioning air‑conditioning unit as the likely cause of the fire, according to rescue personnel quoted by Geo TV. The incident underscores a broader pattern of building fires in Pakistan, where safety regulations and building codes are often ignored or poorly enforced. Earlier this year, a massive fire in a crowded shopping complex in Karachi claimed at least 65 lives, highlighting systemic deficiencies in fire safety oversight across the country’s public and private structures.

The Islamabad nursery fire ranks among the deadliest hospital fires in Pakistan’s history, drawing attention to chronic problems in the state health sector. Public hospitals, which provide subsidised medical care, are severely underfunded, mismanaged and overcrowded, conditions that exacerbate the impact of such disasters. The tragedy is likely to intensify calls for stricter enforcement of safety standards, increased funding for hospital infrastructure, and comprehensive reforms to prevent future loss of life in medical facilities.

⚡ Effects Interpreter